A new infection has hit smartphone industry. Let’s call it the “6Gigs RAM syndrome” which is rapidly spreading among smartphone manufacturers. After Vivo X Play 5 Elite, new reports have surfaced stating that Samsung Galaxy Note 6 and LeEco Max 2 will be housing 6 GB RAM under their hoods. The emergent trend suggests that 6GB RAM, in most likeliness, is set to become the new flagship standard in 2016. Are we ready to take this leap forward? Do we really need this absurd amount of RAM in our Smartphones? Can’t we focus more on RAM management rather adding more Gigs inside? Let’s dive deep and try to answers these itching questions.
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There is a virtually a set trend in the technology world. At first the hardware is beefed up, followed by a gradual software adaptation. Like the great Steve Jobs aptly put it – “customers don’t know what they want until we’ve shown them.”
Hardware has always been ahead in the race
It is definitely not the first time we have come across an absurd, unwarranted upgrade. Countless times have we witnessed changes in hardware which on first instance appeared ludicrous, but later went on to become mainstream. One prime example of such upgrade is displays of smartphone. There was a time when trade pundits questioned the merit of having a full HD display on a 5-inch smartphone. Questions were raised on increased power consumption and futility of the whole concept. But today, even common consumers can appreciate the enhancement Full HD offers over HD.
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Then there was a time when we used to ponder if the world really needs quad-core processors. That too feels like a genuine necessity today.
People do see through superfluous upgrades
Having said that, the saturation point does exist. The transition from Full HD to Quad HD (2K) and From QHD to 4K met with enough resistance. Even Xiaomi Mi 5, the latest flagship phone of a prominent smartphone maker sticks to Full HD resolution, which feels perfectly adequate. Similarly, octa-cores and deca-cores are still considered superfluous by many.
So that brings us back to 6GB RAM…
As our stupid mobile phone get smarter, the required RAM capacity increases. The more we do with our phones the more RAM we need. Smartphone processors are becoming deft computing many threads simultaneously and that only increases the craving for more RAM, Faster RAM.
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So how do the OEMs deal with RAM shortage? One way to handle this shortage is RAM management. It requires streamlining operating system in such a way that it allocates RAM efficiently. But Android has its limitations when it comes to RAM management.
Therefore, most smartphone manufacturers take the shortcut and bump up their RAM capacity to meet the rising challenges. Almost all the Android OEMs have embraced 4GB RAM with open arms for a smooth smartphone experience. We sincerely believe 4Gigs of RAM is good enough to handle anything and everything as of today, and thus, for now, 6GB RAM is definitely an overkill.
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However, the way technology has evolved in last few years it has opened up doors for endless possibilities. Many of them are gradually becoming realty. Virtual Reality and Internet of Things (IOT) which are in their initial phase and expected to explode in coming months. As our living room lights, ACs, Refrigerators, and even apparels get smarter, our Smartphones will assume the role of the universal hub that connects us to what’s in our bedroom and even to what’s on the other end of the globe. We have always relied on the maxim of “More RAM is always a good thing if you can afford it,” and that might not change anytime soon. Therefore in our option 6GB RAM in our opinion isn’t as preposterous as 4K display on 5 or 6-inch display.
